ST. PETERSBURG — The downtown eatery St. Pete Brasserie announced today that it is closing its doors Saturday.

The news comes as the restaurant approaches its fourth anniversary in businesses.

The restaurant, which specializes in a French-oriented cuisine, has struggled over the years, said Justin Chamoun, who has owned and operated the restaurant for about two years.

“It was a chore,” he said. “When we took it over, it wasn’t in the best of shape, and we really were able to accomplish at lot here and do a lot of things that I’m proud of. Unfortunately, we just weren’t able to get the kind of sales that we needed to support a restaurant of this size.”

The restaurant’s location within two units of the historic Alexander Building, a former hotel at 539 Central Ave. is a key reason it wasn’t attracting enough business, Chamoun said.

“When it comes to downtown St. Pete, Beach Drive is where everyone wants to be,” he said. “It’s tough to get people to venture away from that, and parking’s always an issue downtown.”